Villas at Le Sémaphore

Offering internal living areas of 147.02 m², 158.91 m² and 168.28 m² respectively, these three exceptional homes occupy the sixth and top floor of the building, enjoying sweeping views across the city and the surrounding landscape.

Each villa features a generous open-plan living space comprising a fully equipped kitchen, lounge and dining area, opening onto more than 100 m² of panoramic terraces (119.47 m², 126.47 m² and 122.98 m² respectively) as well as expansive winter gardens. Extending the living environment, these winter gardens—measuring over 50 m² each (52.77 m² and two at 64.59 m²)—provide versatile, light-filled spaces protected from direct sunlight by adjustable shading curtains.

Each villa includes three bedrooms, a family bathroom, a separate shower room, a guest WC, a utility room and ample storage throughout.

The properties also benefit from two parking spaces within the underground car park and a private cellar.

To accommodate evolving lifestyle needs, each villa may be connected to an additional apartment located on the fifth floor and accessed via a private service staircase, creating the opportunity for significantly expanded living accommodation.

For any reservation confirmed before the end of July 2026, notary fees and a private cellar are offered.

In the heart of Vannes, these villas enjoy a prime location just a short walk from the historic walled town, with its shops, restaurants and boutiques. The harbour is only a 10-minute walk away and offers pleasant walks along the waterfront, while the islands of the Gulf of Morbihan can be reached via daily ferry services.

The development is very well connected to the rest of the city, with a cycle path and bus stop directly outside the building. The railway station, just a 10-minute walk away, provides connections to Paris in 2 hours and 30 minutes. Rennes and Nantes can both be reached in around one hour by car via the expressway.

Nestled on the top floor of the building, these villas feature clean lines and remarkable architectural qualities. Both understated and set back from the façade, they extend and complete the building’s glazed silhouette.The terraces provide genuine outdoor, landscaped living spaces in the heart of the city, while the winter gardens, composed of polycarbonate panels on a metal structure, seamlessly extend the living areas, creating a transitional buffer zone between inside and outside.

Combined with open-plan volumes and flexible layouts, these winter gardens are characteristic of Lacaton & Vassal’s architectural signature: an economy of means, ecological responsibility, and above all, spatial generosity in the service of the user.

Named Le Sémaphore, this exceptional redevelopment project transforms the former administrative complex of Vannes, originally built in 1967. Project completion is scheduled for late 2028.

The original architecture, characteristic of its era, is defined by a functionalist aesthetic featuring orthogonal lines and a regular façade grid. This iconic landmark of Vannes is now taking on a new identity. Following the approach that has earned the practice international recognition, Lacaton & Vassal are exploring the site’s inherent potential to unlock its strengths and create a new architectural condition. The development extends across four wings and six levels, combining social diversity with a mix of uses, including offices, workspaces, retail premises, student housing, and residential units ranging from studios to villas.

Every aspect of the transformation stems from a rational analysis of the existing building—a monolithic office block set within a relatively dense urban fabric—and a determination to reinvent it. Winter gardens, expansive glazed surfaces, and extensive planting are introduced to strengthen its connection to the site, while circulation systems are entirely reconfigured to accommodate diverse uses and varied ways of inhabiting the space. This careful assessment of the site’s existing qualities thus becomes a catalyst for design. The completed project will also celebrate the building’s history, preserving key elements such as the concrete structure, the original entrance, stairwells and lifts, and portions of the original tiled circulation areas.

Le Sémaphore exemplifies a functional, restrained, and generous architecture. Through environmental responsibility and an economy of means, it will provide its occupants with an exceptional living environment and a rich, multifaceted experience of both private and shared spaces. This approach—at once modest and luminous, and emblematic of Lacaton & Vassal’s work—embodies a forward-looking vision. It is set to become a landmark chapter in the history of Vannes.

The transformation of Le Sémaphore is led by Lacaton & Vassal Architectes in collaboration with associate architect Emmanuelle Delage.

Graduates of the Bordeaux School of Architecture in 1980, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal founded their practice in Bordeaux in 1987. Their early projects served as laboratories for a radical architectural approach grounded in ethics, resourcefulness and an economy of means. A seminal work in their career, Maison Latapie was awarded the “Remarkable Contemporary Architecture” designation in 2023. Over the years, they have delivered a series of landmark projects, including the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Nantes School of Architecture, the FRAC Nord–Pas-de-Calais in Dunkirk, and the celebrated transformation of Tour Bois-le-Prêtre in Paris, undertaken in collaboration with Frédéric Druot and Christophe Hutin.

Lacaton & Vassal have received numerous distinctions, including the Grand Prix National d’Architecture in 2008, the Équerre d’Argent in 2011 for the Tour Bois-le-Prêtre project, the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2018, the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award in 2019, and the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2021. These accolades have established the practice as one of the most influential voices in contemporary architecture worldwide.

Emmanuelle Delage graduated from the Bordeaux School of Architecture (ENSAP) in 1999. From 1996 to 2017, she worked within the Lacaton & Vassal practice, becoming a project director in 2001. During this period, she contributed to several major schemes, including the development of 96 social housing units in Chalon-sur-Saône and the Grand Sud multi-purpose cultural venue in Lille. In 2018, she established her own practice, pursuing a distinctive architectural vision through a range of significant projects. Her work includes serving as project director for NP2F on the Adidas Arena at Porte de la Chapelle, developed for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as overseeing the transformation of Les Bains-Douches Contemporary Art Centre in Alençon.

Since 2023, her collaboration with Lacaton & Vassal has continued through the conversion of Vannes’ former Administrative Complex into a new residential development, Le Sémaphore.